A leading breeder of champions tops the entry for the elite breed sale of the year, the Irish Charolais Cattle Society Christmas Crackers at Elphin Mart, Co Roscommon on Saturday.

Louise Quinn, Ballymoran House, Edenderry, Co Offaly is the largest exhibitor, showing five male and two females of the breed across the overall entry of 114 males and 45 females from the top Charolais pedigree herds in the country.

The Ballyw Herd showed the overall champion of show and highest price maker at last year’s fixture when the show judge tapped forward Ballyw Louis for the championship sash before the bull went on to sell for the leading price of the day at €7,000.

Incentive

A regular exhibitor at the society shows and sale, she continues to blaze a trail of prizewinners and animals consistently among the price leaders for breeding genes which are in strong demand for fellow breeders up and down the country and beyond. Last year’s Christmas Cracker Champion was purchased for a herd in Northern Ireland.

The overall entry for this year’s show and sale have been selected from an entry of 270 animals following pre-sale inspection and, as an incentive to purchasers, the buyers of the five top-priced bulls and three top-priced heifers at the sale will each receive a voucher for 40 bags of Greenvale Animal Feeds. Purchasers from Northern Ireland will qualify for a payment of €100 towards transport costs.

The second largest number of animals from the same herd to be selected will come from Matt Ryan’s, Clonismullen, Drom, Borrisoleigh, Thurles, Co Tipperary — another very successful breeder usually in strong contention for both the top awards and best prices — whose Kilvilcorris herd has three males and three females in the show catalogue.

Martin Ryan, Copperfield House, Cabra, Thurles, Co ­Tipperary — whose Goldstar bloodlines have been creating waves across the country in addition to the basket of championships won by females from the herd — and David Erskine, Crosses, Monaghan, Co Monaghan each have four from their herds chosen.